shiftalttabwink
by suerum
Summary: Jason and Spinelli working out more of the wrinkles in their relationship.


A/N: I have no rights or affiliation with the characters presented within this piece

Shift-alt-tab-wink

Jason was exhausted, he was starting to think he was getting too old for some aspects of his chosen profession. There was a time where he could've stayed out all night on reconnaissance, come home grabbed a shower and been good to go for the rest of the day with no marked loss in his abilities or his razor sharp alertness. Not anymore though, those days had come and gone. Now after being out all night roaming around by the piers in the chilly spring air, checking to make sure that there was no unauthorized activity going on and that security was being stringently maintained by his and Sonny's men, he felt like crap. All he could think of was getting to bed, and while he could use a shower it would just have to wait until later. Then he'd probably just grab something to eat, watch a mindless program on TV and head on back to bed.

"Greetings, Stone Cold!"

Jason groaned, one of the most infuriating things about Spinelli was his boundless good nature, especially so early in the day. Even when he was awake in the morning, Jason was grouchy and more uncommunicative than ever and particularly after spending a night out in the elements he was just plain cranky. All of the women he had ever dated or had relationships with that involved them seeing him upon awakening knew well enough to leave Jason alone before he had at least two cups of strong, black coffee safely infused into his blood stream. Sam, Robin, Sonny, and even Carly, for Gods sake, tiptoed around Jason of a morning. More often than not, unless the situation was urgent, people just chose to avoid Jason until it was at least several hours past daybreak.

Yet, the one person Jason had lived with for the longest, his roommate, his very own self-professed grasshopper who was intimately acquainted with Jason's secrets, regrets and few joys, remained perennially clueless about this defining aspect of his personality. Jason could never quite understand how Spinelli was equally both so perceptive and so insensitive. The kid time and time again had astonished Jason with his subtle analysis of people and their motivations. He seemed to intuitively understand why people took particular actions, what drove them to do certain thing-even destructive behaviors. He was empathetic and sympathetic and he knew Jason in a way which was unique and foreign to others, even those closest to him. Yet, he could be entirely oblivious about the correct interpretation of the simplest of social signals.

Jason didn't say anything in response to Spinelli's overture. He simply went to the closet and after hanging up his ubiquitous leather jacket reached up to pull the lockbox for his gun off the shelf. He carried it over to the desk and began the familiar routine of breaking his gun down for safe storage. If he wasn't so tired he probably would have sat down at the desk and given the weapon a thorough cleaning but for now a simple disassembly was all he had the energy for.

His ritual with the gun had been accompanied by the ever-present tap-tap as Spinelli worked away on his keyboard. Jason hadn't even registered it at first, the noise was the commonplace soundtrack to their life together and he had been focused on the task at hand. Just as he was finishing putting the last parts of the gun carefully away in their welcoming foam nest he realized that there was something different about the cadence, the echo of the keys being pressed. Vaguely curious he looked over at his roommate through sleep deprived eyes as he tried to discover what had altered in a sound that was as recognizable to him as the click of pool balls hitting one another or the menacing, shiver inducing noise of a gun being cocked.

Now that he had a visual to go along with the auditory miscues, Jason acknowledged that there was something very different about Spinelli and his laptop this morning. Usually Spinelli sat on the couch hunched over the machine typing away but today he was leaning back into a corner of the sofa, his legs stretched out upon it while his laptop was occupying its customary position on the coffee table. Puzzled, Jason tried to make sense of the images his brain was receiving. The computer was clearly separate from Spinelli and while the young hacker peered intently at the screen from the couch it was impossible for him to be typing for the keyboard was out of reach and untouched. With such a peculiar arrangement it ought to have been impossible for Spinelli to be typing but still the insistent clickty-clack of keys being hit continued unabated. Finally, there was something in his surroundings which intrigued Jason enough to temporarily wipe away the vapors of fatigue trailing his every action. He hoisted himself up out of the desk chair and walked over toward Spinelli to see if he could find an explanation for what seemed to be the sudden onset of mystical powers on the part of his roommate.

Spinelli was so concentrated on whatever he was doing with the computer that he remained ignorant of Jason's approach. His mentor paused by the couch, standing right next to his friend as he tried to interpret what the boy was doing. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust and it was with an initial feeling of relief that Jason realized that there really wasn't any mystery to solve. Spinelli simply had another keyboard resting on his lap onto which he was typing and it appeared to be connected in some way to the laptop on the coffee table. He had no idea why Spinelli felt the need for a separate keyboard and he knew if he asked for a reason he would get a long convoluted answer that he simply didn't have the energy to either decipher or even endure right now.

Jason was turning to leave, to head upstairs to his bed and the welcoming arms of sweet unconsciousness when he turned back once more, his brow creased in a frown as he tried to put his finger on what was off about Spinelli's extra keyboard. He moved silently back to stand once more by his roommate watching him type with a grave deliberation. The two held their individual tableau poses for several uninterrupted minutes, the boy typing with zeal and the older man standing still and watchful.

"What the hell!" Jason couldn't believe his eyes. He pointed at Spinelli's lap as he raised an incredulous eyebrow, all the while piercing the kid with one of his patented stares of death. "What exactly are you wearing, Spinelli?" Jason fought to keep his tone moderated, his voice even but it was costing him a lot to achieve it.

Spinelli had jumped at the unexpected shout of disbelief so close to his head but he quickly recovered when he determined that it was merely Jason in one of his outbursts of apoplexy that only Spinelli seemed capable of producing. He looked up at his mentor, a benign expression of inquiry on his, face until he followed the track of Jason's eyes and a then bright smile of pure unalloyed delight spread over his features.

"Stone Cold has ascertained the Jackal's newest and proudest possession." He waited for some sort of response from Jason but nothing was forthcoming from the uncertain lips of his dazed looking roommate. "I received them only yesterday and am utilizing them for the first time today, this is their maiden voyage as it t'were. Here," Spinelli jumped up from the couch with alacrity, eager to share his new toy with his best friend whom he knew would appreciate the ingenuity, the efficiency, and the out and out cleverness of the article in question. He pirouetted in front of Jason, demonstrating all sides and attributes of the item of newly acquired clothing with which he was so inestimably pleased.

Jason tried again, his lips stiff as he attempted to search for a few appropriate words that he could string together in some sort of coherent order to formulate a reasonable question as he received a better and most unwanted view of Spinelli's newest addition to his wardrobe. "What exactly are they…?" His voice was weak with stupefaction as it trailed off, he couldn't force himself to finish the sentence with an ordinary word and beyond that his vocabulary failed him.

He needn't have worried, Spinelli was more than eager to oblige with information about what he was wearing. "They are called, with a great lack of ingenuity," he said with a note of censure in his tone, "Keyboard pants." Again he twirled around so that Jason caught a momentary rear view of what seemed to be a pretty ordinary pair of jeans before once more being subjected to the spectacular bizarreness that was the front of the pants.

He pointed at the jeans, his finger shaking with horrified wonder, "That's an actual working keyboard?" His voice cracked and he thought he must be seeing things. "Please God let this be a nightmare!" He sent a silent plea up to the heavens who no more at this precise time than at any other seemed to have any inclination to help Jason Morgan out of an untenable position.

"Yes, indeed!" Spinelli's exuberant enthusiasm made Jason wince. "It's a keyboard," the boy gestured toward his own jean clad crotch with all the expertise of a female model at a car show, "And so much more, Stone Cold!"

"There's more?" Jason couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that the kid was wearing a literal keyboard on his lap and now the good news was that there was more! He wasn't going to ask about what exactly the more might consist of, he just wasn't but then again he didn't need to because after all, this was Spinelli.

"Oh, yes!" Spinelli caroled, as he excitedly demonstrated the further features of his new pants. "The mouse of course," and there it was all right dangling absurdly by a cord at his right hip. "It can be placed in the rear pocket thusly…" Spinelli suited his actions to his words and at least that was one less thing for Jason to a stare at in flabbergasted astonishment. "Then," he flicked a switch and sound filled the penthouse living room as an amazed Jason stared down at Spinelli's knees out of which loud, atonal music was erupting, "These are the speakers," Spinelli announced unnecessarily, he had shout to be heard over the dissonance issuing from between his legs. Rightly interpreting Jason's pained expression, he quickly switched off the speakers. "Then here, cleverly encased in the zipper region, is the joy stick for game playing maneuver…"

"Enough!" The single word cut across Spinelli's explanation causing him to instantaneously stop speaking or reaching for the hidden joystick as he looked up at Jason in consternation not understanding how he could have irritated Stone Cold simply by displaying the various attributes of the Keyboard pants. Jason's hands were up in front of his face in a defensive position as though he were actively warding off any further intolerable speeches about joysticks and zippers. "Those are the most ridiculous, stupid things I have ever seen and I want you to go upstairs right now and change."

Spinelli's jaw dropped at the cruel words that his mentor spoke in a heartfelt hiss of anger and disapproval. "Th..ese, why, Stone Cold, the…pants…, they're the very apex of cyber fashion." Stammering over his shock, Spinelli tried to reason with Jason, to show him the error of his ways. He really shouldn't be surprised at his mentor's reaction he argued with himself internally. If ever there was a man out of step with current culture it was his Master. Add to that his total lack of comprehension of all things tech, well, it was no wonder that he didn't understand the sophisticated allure of the Keyboard pants as Spinelli himself so clearly did.

"I mean it, Spinelli, now. Go upstairs and change and don't show yourself again until you have." Jason was resolute, his eyes grey slate, his face a stony mask.

Even Spinelli didn't dare challenge Jason when his expression was so stern and set. Tears of disappointment and humiliation filled his eyes but he managed to keep them from flowing down his cheeks. He wasn't going to cry in front of Jason on top of everything else. In a low, sullen voice he said, "The Jackal will abide by his Master's most egregious and tyrannical order." His shoulders slumping and his feet dragging he turned toward the staircase and trudged up it slowly, every inch of his body posture communicating his combined resistance and resentment at Jason's unwarranted edict but still he went.

A low tirade of words erupted from his lips the entire time he was climbing the stairs. "For the first time ever, the Jackal was on the cutting edge of fashion. Stone Cold can't face the fact that his grasshopper would have eclipsed his reputation as a babe magnet were he to but show himself in such magnificent apparel…"

Spinelli's mutterings continued unabated but finally he was out of Jason's earshot and he gave a grateful and relieved sigh. Sometimes he mourned for the days before Spinelli had intruded upon his tranquil life. Back then he could open the door to his own home and know that he wasn't going to be greeted by the sight of a geeky kid dancing around the living room or having sex on his couch or wearing Keyboard pants. Really, the things he put up with! Sighing, and feeling the slightest trickle of regret at being responsible for putting such a forlorn expression on the kid's face, he followed Spinelli up the stairs, sleep beckoned.

Jason was just drifting off to sleep when an errant thought flashed through his brain, "How in the hell are you supposed to wash the damn things?"

When Jason came down in the early afternoon, Spinelli was once again seated on the couch. This time he had the television on as background noise and was in his usual hunched position as he communed with his laptop. Sometimes Jason thought that Spinelli and his computer were almost merged together rather like a synthesis of man and machine found within one of the science fiction TV shows or movies he loved watching. Jason risked a surreptitious glance to see if his roommate had followed his mandate by changing out of those practically obscene keyboard pants. He was reassured at the sight of a pair of pants that while not of the ordinary blue colored denim seemed to be in all other respects a perfectly acceptable pair of light tan jeans.

"Hey," Jason was slightly ashamed of his high handed behavior earlier. He knew that it had been a combination of ill-temper due to a lack of sleep as well as an underlying desire to prevent Spinelli from making a fool of himself which would most definitely have happened had he dared to appear in public in those idiotic jeans. Still, he hadn't intended to fly off the handle in such an extreme way and make the kid feel so bad about his geeky concept of a well dressed nerd. Jason absolutely hated that expression of complete and utter devastated hurt that would appear on Spinelli's face when someone taunted or belittled him. He was usually the one who went after anyone that dared to make him feel that worthless but today it had actually been Jason himself who was responsible for putting that look there.

Spinelli didn't glance up from his computer or acknowledge in any way Jason's presence or monosyllabic conversation starter. He sighed in frustration, the kid was giving him the silent treatment that meant his feelings were _really _ injured, only once or twice in their entire acquaintance had Spinelli stopped speaking to him in a fit of pique. The good news was that Jason hadn't seen him be able to extend it to beyond a half hour and even that had been a stretch on his part. He looked at his watch and started the mental timer in his head as he went over to the desk and sat down preparing to get some work done while he out waited Spinelli's annoyance with him.

Jason felt like throwing something. He looked over at Spinelli for the umpteenth time, two hours had passed since he had come downstairs and not a single peep out of the kid, the low background hum of the TV and the constant clatter of computer keys were the only sounds in the penthouse. With a massive effort of will Jason had refrained from saying anything until Spinelli did and the standoff between the two of them looked like it might stretch on indefinitely.

One aspect of the unstated battle of wills was that unexpectedly it was Spinelli who appeared to be entirely unfazed by the break down in communication. Jason had no idea that he would actually miss the boy's constant chatter and commentary on every subject under the sun. He found he couldn't give the proper attention to his work without Spinelli breaking in with some inane or incomprehensible observation every couple of minutes. Jason hadn't done anything in the last two hours except shift vaguely through the piles of business papers on his desk and take quick covert looks at Spinelli as he typed on apparently unmindful of Jason's growing exasperation with the unresolved matter in hand.

Jason fervently wished that a visitor would knock at the door or that either his or Spinelli's phones would ring, anything to offset this awful quietude on the part of the young hacker. After the sluggish passage of another fifteen minutes of silence and just as Jason was about to capitulate and be the first to speak, he was saved by the desired ring of Spinelli's cell phone. Except it didn't ring, it played a tune and Jason sat there bemused as he tried to figure out why Spinelli would set his phone to play 'Happy Birthday'.

Spinelli whipped open his phone and after rapidly scanning the screen for the caller id information spoke into the speaker with a relaxed and cheerful openness. "Greetings to the Jackal's most revered Granny." There was an interlude while Spinelli listened intently and then replied to something his grandmother had said. "Indeed the package arrived with promptness and I was equally surprised and enchanted by the contents within. The Jackal sends his most humble thanks for your thinking of him on his natal day." Another pause, and again he spoke, "Yes, the Jackal has already worn the aforementioned article of clothing and finds them to be entirely fitting to his sensibility and practical as well. They are indeed a highly valued gift."

This time Spinelli spared a glance at Jason, who up until that moment had been feeling like nothing more than another piece of furniture in the room for all the regard Spinelli gave him. The look was full of accusation. Suddenly, Jason had a sinking feeling in his stomach as he belatedly realized that not only was today Spinelli's birthday and he hadn't had any idea of that fact but that he had yelled at him and belittled the one gift he had received from his beloved grandmother. Guilt and remorse coursed through him as he swallowed uneasily and unable to meet his roommate's understandably critical glare dropped his eyes in shame.

Spinelli continued chatting with his grandmother for a few more minutes. Once the call was over, Jason managed to look up and finding Spinelli's eyes upon him, asked the obvious question, "It's your birthday today?"

He nodded, his head cocked to the side as he looked at Jason appraisingly. Spinelli appeared to have reached some sort of internal decision for when he spoke his tone lacked any reproach and he seemed his normal positive self. "Yes, Stone Cold, today is my birthday. My granny is good about remembering the Jackal annually upon this date." He spoke casually as though he had no expectation of anyone else recalling or even knowing that the day was special.

"How old are you?" Jason was embarrassed to find he didn't even know such a fundamental detail about this boy, who if he were pressed to describe what he meant to him would have reluctantly admitted to more than roommate or friend status, that he was actually something much closer to a core family member.

Yet, he had no idea when his birthday was, and what was worse hadn't ever thought to inquire about it. Spinelli never talked about himself in terms of his past or his family or what he had experienced prior to coming to live in the penthouse. Jason had always been perfectly content with that arrangement. Still, now as he stared at the young man sitting on his couch and saw that he was seemingly entirely satisfied with the solitary attention paid him by his only known living relative on his birthday and apparently expected nothing further, he felt ashamed all over again. He thought of all the people he knew that celebrated their children's and their own birthdays in an extravagant fashion and instinctively realized that had never been the case for Spinelli.

Jason realized he had been thinking so hard about Spinelli that he had entirely missed the answer to his question, "What did you say?" He prompted him once more. It seemed he couldn't put a foot right with the kid today.

"The Jackal said that this date marks his full and complete emancipation, he is twenty-one years of age."

"Oh, great!" Jason groaned to himself silently. Not only was he just finding out that it was Spinelli's birthday but it was one of the milestone ones as well, perhaps the single most important birthday anyone ever had, it was the official gateway into adulthood. "Do you have any plans to celebrate?" Jason asked him tentatively, the gears of his mind slowly engaging as he started to think of his own scheme.

"Negative," Spinelli said as he shook his head ruefully. "The Jackal has never been habituated to the celebration of his birthday though his sweet granny would oftentimes bake him a cake with orange frosting to denote the occasion." His tone was reminiscent and all Jason could do was pity the younger Damian Spinelli whose biggest treat on his birthday was the offhand production of a cake though he also couldn't repress a shudder of repulsion at the thought of all that orange flavored frosting.

"Well," Jason said, trying to rise from the desk chair with a casualness he didn't feel, "I've got to go run some errands but maybe when I get back we could grab some dinner at Kelly's and catch a movie afterwards."

Jason immediately felt even more mortified when Spinelli's face lit up and he jumped up off the sofa saying with a spontaneous glee, "Stone Cold would sacrifice his evening engagements on such short notice to celebrate this auspicious day with his faithful grasshopper?"

"Sure, Spinelli," he tried to calm the boy down as he was practically dancing with excitement. "I think dinner and a movie is the least we can do to observe the day. Though, I suppose if we're going to go out tonight, I had better get started on those errands." Jason opened the door and was poised to leave when he looked back over his shoulder at an animated Spinelli and said awkwardly, "Happy Birthday, Spinelli."

He was gone longer than he expected and when he got back to the penthouse he found Spinelli sitting in the darkened living room, curled up on the sofa the light from the TV reflecting off his face as he watched one of his myriad DVD's. He looked up in surprise when Jason entered the room, but quickly schooled his features into a partially successful look of calm indifference.

"The Jackal was convinced that Stone Cold had been called out on urgent business for Mister Sir or that he had forgotten about the engagement or perhaps more simply had changed his mind." He attempted to sound nonchalant as he listed the various reasons Jason might have for being late or possibly not showing up at all. Jason's face flamed and he was grateful for the cover of darkness in the room. He recognized that every single item on Spinelli's list had actually occurred many times over the years as Jason had put the demands of so many others before Spinelli's much simpler but often overlooked needs. "Perhaps, if Stone Cold would rather, we could order takeout and watch a video here at Casa de Stone Cold. I am sure you are tired after having been out all night…" He made the offer cautiously as though almost expecting that even this compromise of a birthday observation might be rejected by a mentor who had better things to do than hang out with his roommate-like sleeping.

"Nope," Jason shook his head vehemently, "I'm sorry I was out longer than I planned to be but I am here now and ready to celebrate. Are you good to go?"

Spinelli stood up with celerity and by pushing the remote control to turn off the television abruptly plunged the penthouse into complete blackness. "Fulsome apologies, Stone Cold," Spinelli's voice indicated he was moving as he tried to navigate his way through the darkened room, there was a thud and an exclamation of pain as he obviously hit some part of his anatomy on a piece of furniture.

Jason sighed, as he reminded himself it was the kid's birthday and he had already gone off on him once today. "You all right?" He inquired as he found the doorknob and opening the front door allowed in a faint stream of light from the hallway which enabled them both to see.

"Affirmative, Stone Cold," Spinelli replied sheepishly. He followed his mentor out into the foyer in front of the penthouse and stood behind Jason struggling to slip into one of his innumerable hoodies as they both awaited the arrival of the elevator.

Spinelli trailed Jason as they walked out through the dimly lit parking garage. A baffled frown formed between the younger man's eyes when his mentor didn't turn toward the black SUV they shared as a common vehicle. "Stone Cold," he called out to Jason, "You have bypassed our conveyance and while walking to Kelly's is entirely feasible were we to continue onward to watch a feature film that would be much farther afield and require us driving to reach there in a timely manner."

Jason didn't reply but just kept heading for the street exit of the garage. Spinelli shrugged his shoulders and continued on after his roommate. He stepped out into the night to find Jason standing by a car parked at the curb. When Spinelli came closer he could tell the vehicle had been just purchased. It had temporary paper license plates and the dealer sticker information was still attached to the right rear side passenger window. The car gleamed enticingly in the yellow wash of light coming from a nearby street lamp as it exuded an alluring come hither and drive me vibe.

Spinelli looked over at Jason, an eyebrow raised quizzically, "Is this then the result of the errand requiring Stone Cold's urgent attention this afternoon, the acquisition of a new car?" He had to admit to himself that he was a little taken aback at his mentor's purchase. Spinelli had been trying for years to get Jason to buy a second car, something that was less of a gas guzzler and therefore better for the environment than the SUV. "Well," he thought to himself with a small inward smirk of satisfaction, "It seems the grasshopper has rubbed his legs together long enough and persistently enough for his buzz of encouragement to have penetrated his Master's conscience causing him to finally do right by our Lady Gaia."

Jason was staring at him strangely, almost nervously as he replied. "Yeah, this is what I went out to get. Do you like it? It's the Honda Insight-a hybrid." He added unnecessarily as Spinelli was well versed in all the available makes and options in the up and coming popular world of hybrid and other green energy vehicles.

"Stone Cold has made a wise choice indeed," Spinelli reassured him enthusiastically, wanting Jason to feel good about his expenditure. "The Insight has been well received and reviewed by the automotive aficionados of hybrids." Spinelli was smiling broadly now as he finally absorbed the idea that Jason was getting on board with the green revolution and that his influence more than likely had some role in creating that desirable outcome.

"What about the color?" Jason was still giving him an anxious look and Spinelli couldn't remember him ever before needing his approval the way he seemed to right now. "It's called atomic blue metallic and that just seemed right but if you think a different color is a better idea..."

Jason was waiting for a response from Spinelli and so he tried to placate him. "The Jackal does like both the hue of the car and its resonant name but if Stone Cold would rather have something more in keeping with the mobmobile he is sure there would be no problem in exchanging it for something in basic black. Yet, if that were the case shouldn't you have done so at the time?" He cocked his head curious as to why Jason would have settled for anything he didn't like about a car Spinelli was certain had been bought outright rather than being financed.

Jason gave him a strange look as if he didn't quite understand Spinelli's answer but he forged on and began enumerating various features that this particular model of the Insight possessed. "It's has anti-locking brakes and the traction shifts to different wheels depending on weight distribution in the car and there are a lot of other safety features as well. It gets around forty-three miles per gallon and has this special button for something called eco-set which further maximizes fuel economy. Then there is a built in computer with GPS and the ability to monitor your fuel usage and make your own adjustments to improve efficiency. It has integrated Bluetooth and a US…some kinda of port that lets you plug in a portable music player. The sound system has a lot of power and there are six speakers all together." Jason finally stopped speaking. It appeared he had run out of facts to recite to Spinelli about the marvels of the new Insight sitting patiently before them on the street silently begging to be driven.

Spinelli was becoming slightly perturbed by Jason's uncharacteristic behavior. First he had apparently on the spur of the moment gone out and bought an environmentally sound passenger car. Then, in addition, he seemed to be entirely dependent on Spinelli's good opinion of his impulse buy as though if he didn't like some aspect of it then Jason would turn right around and trade it in for one that Spinelli would sanction. Finally, there was his disturbing imitation of a car salesman with his spiel about the vehicle's multitude of features and his peculiar emphasis on its technical attributes which further puzzled Spinelli for they were all things of no interest to his friend.

Spinelli was starting to feel uncomfortable under Jason's penetrating gaze, he knew his mentor wanted some particular response from him but he had no clue as to what he ought to say to make him comfortable with his spontaneous purchase of a new car. Spinelli knew of the Insight by reputation. It was a fine automobile. Stone Cold should neither be suffering buyer's remorse nor need his grasshopper's imprimatur to feel satisfied that he had made a wise choice by picking it to be his second vehicle.

He spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully so that he could bolster his Master's confidence and hopefully get him into a state of mind so they might actually take a ride in the car. "The decision to purchase an Insight was a wise one from the Jackal's perspective, Stone Cold. It is most likely the brand and model I myself would have chosen were I to buy an automobile. If you wish, I could show you how many of the technological features of the car operate as perhaps you find them somewhat intimidating at the moment. To that end," here he hesitated and looked hopefully up at Jason, "Perhaps we could take it out for a spin. The Jackal would dearly love the opportunity to ride in your brand new car."

Now it was Jason's turn to be perplexed as he ran the palm of his hand across his face. He believed he had made the ownership of the new car crystal clear. He had forgotten he was dealing with Spinelli who didn't pick up on subtle cues or nuanced wording. If you wanted him to understand something, it was best to say it plainly.

"The car isn't mine, Spinelli, it's yours." The simple sentence was suspended in the spring night air but Spinelli couldn't absorb its declaration.

"Mi…ne?" He stuttered as he moved away from the car, away from Jason. "That is impossible, Stone Cold. How could such a thing ever be?" He had backed unawares into a pile of garbage bags sitting on the sidewalk waiting to be picked up the following morning. Spinelli stumbled over them and fell to the ground. He was sprawled amongst the black shiny trash bags some of which had split open under the force of his fall and he couldn't gain purchase to hoist himself up. So, there he lay, looking like a beached whale.

"Spinelli," Jason was fighting to keep the edge of laughter out of his voice as he came over to help him up. The kid had been comical as a look of panic crossed his face and he fought desperately to remain upright. Yet, now as Jason approached him lying in-between all of the sleek black bags, his chest covered with torn paper and egg shells, he just seemed lost and pitiful, his face miserable. "You okay?" Jason asked hauling his roommate up off the ground and brushing the detritus off his hoodie and pants. "You didn't hurt yourself did you?" He questioned him more urgently, suddenly concerned. He had never met someone more accident prone then Damian Spinelli.

"No, Stone Cold," Spinelli's tone was subdued and he backed a careful step away from Jason, moving out of reach of his brusque but caring ministrations. "I am fine but as to the Insight," he paused and looked over at the sleekly appealing vehicle, a mingled expression of pain and yearning on his face, "I cannot possibly accept it."

"Spinelli," Jason was exasperated and his feelings injured. He had wanted to get the kid something special for his birthday and in particular to make up for all the ones that Jason had missed, even the ones before he knew him. "Why not? I bought it for you, everything I just listed are all features I thought you would like…"

In fact he'd given a thorough description of Spinelli-his interests and abilities-to the salesman and had been mildly shocked to find that Spinelli actually fit a demographic profile. He'd known going in that he was going to get his roommate a hybrid but he didn't know exactly how carefully the Insight was actually tailored specifically to appeal to consumers like Spinelli. Jason didn't think there was anyone else like Spinelli and his opinion on that subject hadn't been altered in the least by the salesman's cocky and somewhat patronizing attitude. Jason had suffered him with ill grace all the while reminding himself that the gift had to be as ideal as he could make it and at least the guy seemed to know his stuff about the car anyway.

Spinelli wouldn't meet Jason's eyes, he had his head down and his shoulders were pulled in as though he were warding off a blow. Jason didn't understand his reaction at all but he tried again to reach him. "Look, maybe I overstepped. I guess it wasn't a good idea to get something like a car for someone else without their input. I didn't think, I just wanted to surprise you on your birthday. If you don't like it, if there's something you'd rather change, even a different car…we can do that. It's meant for you, your vehicle. So I want it to be perfect, exactly what you want, what you need. Spinelli," he was pleading now. He wasn't the one the words were supposed to be rushing out of like a waterfall. No, that was the job of the silent boy standing in front of him and refusing to look at him. "Please say something; you're starting to freak me out here." He ran a frustrated hand through his hair and made a conscious effort to stop babbling, to let Spinelli have some room to breathe.

Spinelli stood unmoving for a few more moments and then just as a worried Jason was about to say something, to try and reach him, he looked up. He still wouldn't look at Jason directly. Instead his eyes skittered around onto the street, the sidewalk, even the parked car but they never once landed on Jason's face.

His voice came out dull and heavy sounding as though it was costing him a great effort to speak. "The car is ideal, Jason, truly but it's just too much, I'm not worthy of such an extravagant gift." Finally, he was gazing up at his mentor, his eyes shadowed and unreadable, "Perhaps you could just keep it as a second vehicle and the Jackal could upon occasion drive it." He offered the compromise timorously as though he were unsure of its appropriateness.

"Not worthy!" Jason was suddenly furious with Spinelli, but really more so with himself for not having anticipated this reaction. "There isn't anyone else more worthy, don't you know that?" He stepped forward so he was just a few inches away from the younger man. "Look," he managed to regulate his tone when he realized that Spinelli was actually trembling and he was once again staring down at the sidewalk, "I know I should've gotten you your own car a long time ago. I meant to do it and something always came up and I would forget." He sighed, he didn't know what the magic words were to get through to his roommate but he was going to have to try and find them. "I realize that is how it is a lot of the time between us-I take you for granted. I know you'll come through for me no matter what but then I don't necessarily manage to do the same for you."

"Stone Cold," now Spinelli was looking at him, his eyes flashing as he protested indignantly, "That is a blatant misnomer, of course you are there for the Jackal wherever and whenever he has needed your aid."

"Yes, Spinelli," Jason responded patiently, he was pleased that the kid was at least talking to him again, "When there is a crisis or you're in trouble, I help you and I always will. It's the other stuff I mean, when you're excited about something and want to talk to me about it or you want to do something together, I'm not very good at that kinda of thing." He gave a repentant half grin that Spinelli answered with a small smile of his own. "You know that doesn't mean I don't care about you or that you're not important to me right, cause you are."

Spinelli stared at him uncertainly as though he wasn't quite sure either what to think or say, "The Jackal realizes that Stone Cold relies on him and that he has many who depend on him to perform his vital role of protector and confidante. He knows he can't expect more than a fraction of your attention under such continual demands on your precious time. He is content to accept that is the way things are and will continue to be. It is not proper for the Master to worry himself upon the grasshopper's account."

Jason paused before speaking again, he didn't know, had never known how to combat Spinelli's problems with low self-esteem, with his ongoing belief that people could utilize his talents, his goodwill and his assistance but that somehow he didn't have the right to expect anything in return. Instead, he was just always amazed and thrilled beyond reason when someone like Maxie, Sam or Jason included him in their lives, wanted to claim him as a lover, colleague, or friend. He never quite believed that they actually liked him or loved him and that they simply felt lucky to know him.

"I do worry," Jason said seriously, "You had better accept it and get used to it. You're in my life for good, you're as much family to me as Jake, Michael, Morgan, Carly or Monica." He pulled the car keys out of his pocket and dangled them in the air tantalizingly. "Now, are you going to drive this car to Kelly's or are we going to go back into the garage and get out that gas hog of an SUV? Because I gotta tell you, getting it over here is the first and last time I intend to drive _your_ car."

He was rewarded by a flashing grin as Spinelli snatched the keys out of Jason's teasing grip. "The Jackal cannot be held responsible for unnecessary furtherance of stress upon the Earth's ecological system." Jason headed for the passenger door, relieved that the situation was resolved and Spinelli's mood was once more buoyant. "Stone Cold?" Spinelli was looking at him over the Insight's shiny blue roof.

"Yeah?" Jason needed them to get going but not a hint of his impatience showed in his countenance.

"Thank you very much for the car. It is the most magnificent gift I have ever or doubtless will ever receive." He smiled shyly as he ducked his head down and climbed into the driver's seat entirely missing Jason's responsive smile of gratification.

The short drive to Kelly's made Jason question his own sanity in ever thinking of buying Spinelli a car. It wasn't that he drove too quickly that was never an issue with Spinelli. In fact he was one of those drivers who drove so slowly that he was a danger to the other motorists on the road as he impeded traffic flow. Still, even Spinelli could manage the low city speed limits without difficulty. No, it was his lack of focus as he talked and attempted to check out every gadget his new vehicle possessed that was making him a menace on the road tonight.

Finally, against his desire to not be mean to him on his birthday, Jason couldn't stand it another second. "Spinelli!" He yelled after they nearly crashed into a series of parked cars while the hacker was busy inputting something onto the Insight's computer screen. "If you can't stop playing with that and concentrate on your driving then pull over and I'll drive."

Spinelli looked mildly abashed, "Sorry, Stone Cold, I got carried away. The Jackal can't have you reneging on your recently stated intent of not driving the Insight, though of course I have no aversion to your ever driving it as you have always kindly and freely let me drive the mobmobile." He rattled on and Jason just let him, the familiar pulse and tempo of his unique speech patterns washing over him, while he kept his eyes vigilantly on the road.

They reached Kelly's without either getting a ticket or into an accident. Jason took his time getting out of the Insight as he let Spinelli walk ahead of him. He was following him, keeping a measured distance between them as they walked toward the diner. Jason's eyes kept being pulled unwillingly in the direction of Spinelli's butt as they walked. There was something visible on his pants, peculiar markings which he couldn't quite make out in the dim lighting of the promenade that led to Kelly's. He picked up his pace so he could see more clearly and his jaw dropped in stunned disbelief. There was something painted on Spinelli's jeans, it was a pair of large eyes with over curving brows. It took Jason a moment to place them but then he realized they were the golden brown eyes of an owl and they were situated in such a way that with each step Spinelli took they were actually deliberately winking at him!

He was frantic, he didn't know what to do and there was no time, they were almost to the diner's doors. "Spinelli," he called to his roommate, needing to stop his progression while he thought. The boy turned and looked at him, his head cocked inquiringly. "Um, did…did your grandmother send you something else besides the Keyboard pants in your birthday package?" Jason asked him though he was already sure of the answer.

"Why yes, Stone Cold, how did you know?"

Jason just pointed weakly at his jeans. "I saw them, the owl eyes blinking at me."

Spinelli twisted his head and arched his back as he tried unsuccessfully to see his own bottom. "So, it really works!" He was smiling excitedly, "They are called Winkers pants for obvious reasons. My Granny is a savvy, up to date, with it matriarch. Is she not, Stone Cold?"

Jason could only nod his head in stupefied agreement. "She certainly is something," he thought to himself grimly. Well, there was nothing for it except to go on into Kelly's and make the best of things. He would just have to shield Spinelli as well as he could from the amazed stares and the unkind snickers that would probably erupt when everyone got a good look at this pair of extremely unique pants his grandmother had sent him.

"Spinelli," he said his voice hoarse with suppressed fatigue, it had been a long day. "Maybe next year you could ask your grandmother to send you something else besides clothes-a game, a DVD, a wallet or something. I just don't think Port Charles is as cutting edge as she is…" Jason stopped speaking and took a deep breath, they were here.

Spinelli frowned as he looked at the door to Kelly's. The sign said closed and the interior of the diner was completely dark. "It appears that Mr. Sir's venerable father has abdicated his duties as innkeeper at a somewhat early hour this evening. Perhaps, Stone Cold, we should seek sustenance somewhere else."

Without bothering to reply, Jason reached around Spinelli pulling on the handle of the unlocked door and pushed him through the entry. Immediately the lights went on and there was a loud, shouted "Surprise!" reverberating throughout the room. The young hacker stood there entirely speechless as Jason said simply, "Happy Birthday, Spinelli!"

A/N: Both the Keyboard and Winkers pants exist. You can find the Winkers pants by going to Youtube and typing them in as a search term and you will see a video about them including Spinelli's owl pair. The Keyboard pants can be found on the web by searching or by going to the geekologie site.

Thanks to Ku-chyan for showing me these wonderful pants in the first place and then coming up with the idea that "I bet Spinelli would wear them". She made it a trifecta contribution when she also gave me the title.


End file.
